Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Today is 8 weeks since our referral of A! Tomorrow is 3 YEARS since we sent in our initial payments to AWAA. At the time, we thought we could have a referral within a year. That obviously didn't happen but we believe "A" was meant for our family and we continue to see all the ways God has used our wait time and circumstances to allow him to be in our family. More on that in a bit.

Yesterday I received an email with the subject line "PAIR Update." Bonus points if you remember what PAIR is, but for those who don't, it's "Pre-Adoptive Immigration Review" and our next big step in the process. We need to be submitted PAIR and approved before our case moves on. At this point, we really do nothing but wait - When I saw the email, I held my breath, hoping for some good news, like - we are only waiting on one more document! Instead, I found out that we are still a long ways off from being ready to submit. Our little guy's orphanage, which is many hours away from the Transition Home he is living in now, is also many hours away from his hometown, where all his paperwork is. The person from the orphanage in charge of collecting the necessary documents for PAIR submission has been unable to do so because of the distance, and because he has been working on collecting documents for other children. AWAA is going to purchase a plane ticket for the social worker to go collect the documents. Hopefully this is done soon.

We were also informed that a more accurate birthdate was found - one that makes him a year older than we originally thought. So, "A" is now 6, and will turn 7 in just a few months. Wow, that year went fast ;) We are definitely praying for wisdom in his schooling. It is a fine line of not wanting him to be a lot older than everyone in his class, but at the same time, not setting him up for a frustrating time in school. We won't really be able to make a plan until he is here and can assess him, but we would appreciate your prayers in the meantime.

Now back to my first paragraph.....since our request was 0-5 years (which is actually 5 years 11 months)... if our agency had "A's" correct birthday on file from the beginning, we probably would have never received his referral. It is amazing to me how God orchestrates every detail!

Since every post is better with pictures, here's a few from our beach trip last week! We hope that next year we will be going as a family of 5!

Just as a reminder, here are a few things you can be praying for:

1 - That the orphanage director/social worker would be able to travel SOON to "A's" hometown and collect the documents that are needed, and that the documents that need to be redone due to the age change are done without any problems.

2 - Wisdom for us as we continue to navigate this process and all of it's twists and turns - and that we would be able to come up with a school plan that is best for "A."

3 - God to be preparing ALL of our hearts for the many changes and transitions that will be taking place.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Today we are 6 weeks post-referral, and although I don't have any updates to share, a few people have asked about donations, so I thought I'd give a little of a heads-up donation list! Although we won't be traveling anytime soon, if you come across any of these items and would like to donate them, I'll be glad to take them whenever! This is a very basic list, and as we get close to traveling we will know more specifics.

*Suitcases or large duffel bags - all 4 of us are planning to go on the first trip. We will each be allowed 2 suitcases. We only own 2 big suitcases total. Basically, the more suitcases we have, the more donations we are able to take. It would be a huge blessing if we didn't need to buy more suitcases. If you have old suitcases that you don't use anymore (but could still survive an international flight), we'd love to take them off your hands!

*Diapers & Wipes - always needed at the Transition Home & the orphanages.

*Crocs - the kids at the Transition Home all wear Croc-type shoes! I have seen these types of shoes go on sale at CVS and Kmart at the end of the summer each year, or they can be used if they are in good shape.

*Fun Stuff :) - we will be spending a lot of time at the Transition Home on our first trip and would love to be able to pass things out to the kids. Things like soccer balls, bubbles, coloring books, and sugar free gum are all big hits! And of course fingernail polish for the girls!

If you have any questions about specific items, feel free to ask! Thanks for your interest!